Sand feeding means



Jan. 21, 1947. R. c. KIRK SAND FEEDING MEANS Filed May 13, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 21, 1947. R. c. KIRK SAND FEEDING MEANS Filed May 13', 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Jan. 21, 1947 'UNE'TED STATES PATENT OFFICE SAND FEEDING S Boyden 0. Kirk, Arlington, iMass.

ApplicationMay 13, 1944, SerialNo. 535,512

Z'GIaimS. 1

This invention relates toimprovements in sand feeding means particularly designed for feeding sand from a source of supply to a point of discharge in a sanding device :for motor vehicles although the improvements may be used in sanding devices of other types or for feeding other granular material.

A sanding device of the general character to which the present improvements relate i disclosed in my Patent No. 2,212,865, granted August 27, 1940, for Improvements in sand device for automobiles. In this former patent, the :sand supply receptacle is positioned immediately in the rear of a front wheel and normally concealed by "the front fender. The sand is conveyed laterally beneath the running "board to a point closely adjacent the rear fender at which point the sand is in position for gravital discharge to be deposited on the ground immediately in front of the rear Wheel.

One of the major problem in the commercial development of sanding devices for motor vehicles is that of means for controlling the delivery of the sand, Any of the usual .forms of valve mechanisms may lead to trouble due to sticking of the valves or the mechanism for controlling the valves either due to the sand itself or due to freezing from moisture that may accumulate near the valve mechanism. In my prior patent, I disclosed a valveless construction by providing a motor driven conveyor belt for moving the sand from the receptacle to the delivery point. In such an arrangement, the sand .is delivered only so long as the conveyor belt is in operation.

Another problem in the design of sanding devices for motor vehiclesresults from the fact that the sand supply receptacle, particularly when installed in the usual pleasure vehicle, cannot be placed at the most convenient point for :deposit of the sand without destroying the appearance of the vehicle :or impedin the movement of the doors. It is commercially desirable to conceal the sand supply receptacle and to place it at a point where there is sufficient space to maintain a substantially large supply of sand. This means that the sand cannot be gravitally deposited from the receptacle and must .be conveyed laterally to the point of discharge.

Furthermore, it .is not easy to design simple mechanism which may be operated efficiently, .no matter what position the vehicle maybe with little expenditure-of power to move the sand without danger of clogging :or binding of the feeding means.

It .is an object of the present invention to prowill cause the sand to travel laterally towards the point of discharge.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a sanding feeding device which may be .manufactured from standard :parts and can be readily adjusted to fit differentsizes and types of motor vehicles in which the tubular means through which the sand is delivered laterally is telescopically constructed so that it may readily be shortened or lengthened as desired when installed-inamotorvehicle.

Further :objects and advantages of my improvements Will be more readily apparent from the following description of ;'a preferred embodiment "thereof as disclosed 'in the accompanying drawings, in which .Fig. l is a vertical, longitudinal section taken through the sanding device as installed in a motor vehicle, portions of the device being broken away for convenience'in illustration;

Fig. 2 is :avertical section taken on the plane indicated 2-2 in Fig. .l and showing the discharge nozzle;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken throgh the mid portion of the tubular means through which the sand is delivered and illustrating the telescopic association of the parts;

Fig, -4 is a vertical section taken through the sand supply receptacle;

,Fig. 5 is aside elevation of the sanding device as installed on a motor vehicle, the front fender .beingshown in section to expose the sand supply receptacle which is normally concealed by the front fender; and

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on :the plane indicated 65 Fig.1 and illustratin the man ner by which the sand is delivered into the sand- .ing tube.

Referring to Fig. 5, there is illustrated a portion of motor vehicle 10 havinga front Wheel l2, rear wheel M, a front fender .516, a rear tender l8, and a .running boardztl. The sanding device essentially comprises the sand supply receptacle 22, the casting 24 constituting the motor casing and the means for supporting the sand receptacle 22, the tubular means 26 through which the sand is conveyed laterally beneath the running board 26 and the splash guard 28 which protects the discharge opening through which the sand is delivered. The sanding device may conveniently be mounted on the motor vehicle such as by the brackets and straps 36. The sand supply receptacle as shown in Fig. 1 is provided with a tubular inlet 32 which extends through the top of the fender I6, the joint is made tight by the nut member 34 and the opening to the tube 32 may normally be closed bythe cork 36 and cap 36. The casting 24 which carries the sand supply receptacle has a diagonal passageway 46 terminating in an elliptical opening 42 as shown in Fig. 6 on the rear face 44 of the casting.

The tubular means 26 essentially comprises a pair of outer telescopically associated tubes or cylindrical members 46 and 48 within which is enclosed an inner pair of telescopically associated tubular members 56 and 52. The tubular member 46 fits closely within the cylindrical flange 54 which extends from the casting 24, a weatherproof seal being provided by the packing 56. The inner tubular member 56 extends closely adjacent the face 44 of the casting 24 but is free to rotate with respect thereto. The joint is sealed to prevent the escape of sand by the gasket 58 held 0 in place by the ring 66 welded or otherwise fixed near the end of the tube 56.

At its rear end, the tubular member 48 is closed by the screw cap 62 which may be removed to provide access to the bearing support for the rear end of the tube 52 which comprises the disc member 64 threaded into the tube 48 and supporting a bearing pin 66 which is fastened by the nut members 68. The rear end of the tube 52 is thus supported for rotation by a small bearing which may be adjusted to hold the tube 52 tightly but with freedom for rotation against the gasket 16 which provides a seal against-entrance of the sand to the bearing. The small bearing permits rotation of the tubes 56 and 52 without excessive power. The inner pair of tubular members 56, 52 may be rotated by operation by a small size electric motor enclosed in the casing I2 and having a universal joint connection at I4 to the split drive pin I6, the ends I8 of which are spread apart and welded or otherwise connected to the forward end of the tube 56. Suitable gaskets 86 and 82 may be provided for sealing the bearing for the drive shaft I6. A nut 83 is provided to adjust the drive pin or shaft 16 and to hold the tube 56 in contact with the sealing gasket 56. The set screw 84 is provided as means to hold the pin or shaft I6 against rotation when desired as will be later described.

The sand is delivered through the passage 46 into the forward end of the tube 56 and conveyed laterally through the tube 56 into tube 52 to the delivery openings 86 as shown in Fig. 2 through which the sand passes to drop through the short discharge pipe 88, the point of discharge being protected by the splash guard 28. The movement of the sand through the tubes 56 and 52 is produced by the provision of spiral fin means within the tubes. In order to provide for the adjustment of the effective length of the distance between the sand supply receptacle and the point of discharge, a pair of spiral fins 96 and 92 are provided. The spiral fin 96 is welded or otherwise fixed at 94 near the forward end of the tube 56, and is also welded or otherwise fixed to the rearward end of the tube 56 at 96 but it should be noted that the fin 96 freely extends beyond the tube 56. The other spiral fin 92 is welded or otherwise secured to the rearward end of the tube 52 at the point indicated 98 as shown in Fig. 2 while the forward end of the spiral fin 92 is welded at I66 to the forward end of the tube 52 as shown in Fig. 3. The free end of the fin 96 slides in beside the fin 92 and the two fins are held together with provision for relative rotatable movement by the clips I62. It will be apparent that by holding the tube 56 and rotating the tube 52 that the effective length may be increased or decreased. The tubes 56 and 52 are of the same diameter but a sliding joint i provided therebetween by an extension from the tube 56 comprising a tubular member I64 of slightly larger diameter, fixed to the tube 56 by the rivets I66. The tube 52 is free to slide with respect to the extension I64 of the tube 56, sealin means being provided if desired, such as the gaskets I66 and H6, the gasket I68 being fixed to the tube 52 while the gasket I I6 is fixed to the extension I64.

It is believed to be new to feed sand or other granular material by a rotatable tube having an interior spiral fin fixed to the tube particularly in which the fin is fixed onl at its ends to the tube. It should be understood that the sand will not fill the tube except that a pile will accumulate at the forward end as it is gravitally deposited from the supply receptacle. Rotation of the tube will feed the sand laterally and allow more sand to fall from the source of supply. The same will be fed laterally along the bottom of the tube by the spiral fin. When the sand reaches the rear end of the tube 52 it will be gravitally discharged but the sand will not be discharged except during rotation of the feeding tube even though the vehicle may be on a hill with the feeding tube in an inclined position.

When a sanding device of the type disclosed is installed on a motor vehicle as shown in Fig. 5, it is often desirable to adjust the length of the conveyor or feeding means between the supply inlet and discharge outlet to fit different sizes and types of vehicles. If the spiral feeding tube is in one piece, the device would have to be made in different sizes. In my improved construction, the outer casing and inner feeding tube are made in relatively slidable sections to provide for the necessary adjustment in length. The front end of the device is fixed in position by mounting the supply receptacle. The tube 56 is then locked by tightening the set screw 64. After removing the cap 62, the tube 52 is then turned from its rear end by means of the nut 66 and the relative movement of the spiral fins will produce a longitudinal displacement to shorten or lengthen the sand feeding means. After adjustment, the cap 62 is replaced, the rear end of the device is fixed in position and the set screw 84 is released. The device is then ready to be operated.

I claim:

1. In a device for feeding sand, a sectional feeding tube, the sections of said tube being telescopically associated, a spiral fin fixed to each of said sections, one of said fins being free at one end to screw into the other spiral fin, means for rotatably mounting the opposite ends of the feeding tube to hold the sections against relative axial movement and means for rotating said tube from one end thereof whereby rotatable movement is transmitted between the sections through the cooperation of the spiral fins.

2. In a sanding device for motor vehicles, a

casing, means for mounting the casing at its opposite ends on a motor vehicle, a sand supply receptacle mounted on said casing at its feeding end, gravital valveless sand discharge means at the opposite end of the casing, said casing having telescopically associated sections for adjusting the length of the casing between the feeding and discharge ends and rotatable tubular spiral conveyor means for feeding the sand through said 

